Toby Keith

Oklahoma native Toby Keith Covel got his first guitar as a child and formed a band in his early 20s, but it took Keith until his 30s to start his country music career. Prior to moving to Nashville in the early 1990s, Keith worked in his home state's oil fields and played high school, college and semi-pro football. He released his self-titled debut album on Mercury Records in 1993, and its first single, "Should've Been a Cowboy," became his first No. 1. Since then, Keith's ridden a consistent streak of Top 10 albums, 10 of which hit No. 1, and 20-plus No. 1 singles to country music superstardom. In 2005, he founded his own record label, Show Dog Nashville, which later merged with Universal South in 2009 to become Show Dog Universal. In 2008, Keith wrote and starred in 'Beer for My Horses', a comedy film based on his 2003 hit of the same name, a duet with Willie Nelson. An avid supporter of the troops, Keith has performed numerous USO Tours overseas. He also owns his own restaurant chain, I Love This Bar &amp; Grill, a play on his 2003 single "I Love This Bar," and has his own line of mezcal, Wild Shot.

Birthday: July 8, 1961

Did You Know …: Keith has landed on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid musicians multiple times.

Whether in times of war or peace, American anthems have been fan-favorite country songs for decades, and there are a slew of country tunes that proudly proclaim the beauty and benefits of the United States of America.